A new disease killing deer has arrived in New York State, the Department of Environmental Conservation reported today.
Three deer in Southampton, Suffolk County, tested positive for the bluetongue virus, which is closely related to the Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) virus and is transmitted the same way. This is the first time the bluetongue (BT) virus was detected in New York deer. It was detected in several other mid-Atlantic coast states this year.
In addition to the newly arriving BT virus, the EHD virus is re-arriving across the region. Two white-tailed deer in Dutchess County, two in Rensselaer County, and one in Suffolk County were found dead and were confirmed positive for EHD.
The BT virus and EHD virus are often fatal to deer. They are transmitted by biting midges, small bugs. BT and EHD outbreaks are most common in late summer and early fall when midges are abundant.
Humans and pets cannot be infected by deer or bites from midges. Diseases caused by the viruses are usually not spread directly from deer to deer. The dead deer do not serve as a source of infection for other animals.
Cattle and sheep can be infected by both the BT and EHD viruses. Cattle seldom exhibit signs of disease, but sheep can suffer severe disease and death from BT infection.
Although the BT virus is new to deer in the area, the EHD has been around before. It was first confirmed in New York in 2007 in the Albany region. In 2020, a large EHD outbreak centered in Orange County killed approximately 1,500 deer.
The BT and EHD viruses cause similar symptoms in sickly deer. These include fever, difficulty breathing, dehydration, swelling of the head neck and tongue, attraction to water, and rapid death. Frequently, infected deer will seek out water sources and many succumb in or near a water source. Once these symptoms appear, deer usually die within 36 hours. There is no treatment or means to prevent either virus.
Sightings of sick or dying deer should be reported to the DEC Regional Office here.
